Tails of a Jinchuriki
by I'MNOTCRAZY1
Summary: A NaruHina fanfic: After Akatsuki's destruction, a series of events ensues that cause Naruto to find the love of Hinata who has adored him for as long as she can remember. The two have many obstacles to overcome. Discontinued. Not up for adoption.
1. Chapter 1: Tears and Confusion

Tails of a Jinchuriki: Chapter 1

Tears and Confusion

* * *

_Growl._ "Man, I'm hungry. I guess it's Lunch-time," Naruto said, holding his stomach, which was verbally announcing the time of day as it always did right around noon. He got off the ground of the training area which was covered in craters. He took a deep breath, then brushed off the dust that had accumulated from his training that morning. He walked in the direction of Ichiraku's, hands behind his head, looking off into the blue sky. He let out a content sigh, looking at the clouds as he walked through the streets, thinking fondly on the past when his team would celebrate finishing a mission by going to Ichiraku's. They hadn't done so with the full team since Sasuke ran away. It hadn't been all that long since Akatsuki was destroyed and Team 7 reunited.

_I really miss those days. Nothing really seems the same... Maybe I've just changed._

"Oh. Hey, Naruto!" Sakura said with a bright smile as she spotted her teammate in the street. She heard a surprised gasp from Hinata, who had been walking behind her by coincidence. Hinata rushed to hide, fleeing into a small alleyway. _Is she still that shy around Naruto?_

Hinata gazed upon Naruto with her big lavender eyes, filled with love and admiration, yet showing her apprehension and anxiety. She was still unsure of herself, even after all this time. She had as of yet failed to have a lasting conversation with him since his return to Konoha and it had been over a year since then. As she recalled this fact, as she often did, she let out a deep sigh, but a faint speck of hope remained, although obscured by her overwhelming self-doubt. _I wish I could talk to him... but I'm too nervous. What if I go up to him, try to get something out and then just faint again! Then what will he think of me? _

Naruto spun around, his face lighting up as he saw his pink-haired teammate. "Hey, Sakura-chan! Hey, I was wondering... Do you want to go get some ramen with me?" he asked in a matter-of-fact tone of voice.

"Sorry Naruto, I have plans. Maybe another time then?" she replied.

* * *

Hinata gasped sharply, feeling a great pain in her chest. Her eyes were starting to fill with water. She fought back tears as she ran. She ran as fast as she could, just to get away. He... He still likes her... she thought over and over, her heart feeling as if it would shatter into a million pieces. She ran until she finally collapsed in a sobbing heap. She found herself in a familiar place. She was by the academy. A large tree stood beside her. Back in the academy, she had often come here to hide from others, to cry when she was little. She had felt attached to the tree somehow and in her distress, somehow she returned to it. She sat there, back against the tree's strong trunk, hugging her knees, weeping from her pain that seemed to eat away at her heart.

* * *

"Aw man! I was going to invite Sasuke too! I just wanted to go out for old time's sake..." Naruto said, arms crossed, mumbling to himself.

"Alright. Well, another time, O.K.?" Sakura said, liking the idea. She turned her head to look back at where Hinata had been, but instead saw the girl running a ways off, a trail of tears streaming behind her. Sakura realized what had occurred. She clenched her fist, a vein on her temple popping. _"Narutooo! You idiot!"_ she said in an angry tone as she punched him in the gut with her immense strength.

_"Oof."_ Naruto doubled over in pain, all the wind driven out of him. Sakura spun towards the alley and sped off towards Hinata.

"What was that about?" Naruto got out in a low voice, still winded. "I didn't do anything."

Naruto got up, spurred on by his growling stomach, which he was holding for two reasons now. He was a couple blocks away from Ichiraku's when something odd caught his attention; Sasuke was coming out of the Yamanaka flower shop. He looked, to put it lightly, _suspicious._

_Alright. The coast is clear. _Sasuke noted as he turned his head from side to side, his arms behind his back, concealing something from view. He was wearing a white shirt with the Uchiha symbol on the back, bandages covering his forearms, hiding the tattoo seals, along with long dark blue pants and sandals, his sword strapped to his back. "AH!" Sasuke shouted, startled, Naruto's face merely inches away from his own. In his shock, Sasuke had inadvertently revealed what he had been hiding behind his back: a bouquet of red roses. Naruto smirked.

"So, who are the flowers for? _Sakura-chan_ perhaps?" He said in a taunting tone with a huge grin on his face.

Sasuke reeled, his face turning a bit pink. "No! They are _not_."

Naruto's smile became even wider. "Come on Sasuke. Give it up."

_Damn him._ Sasuke thought. "They are for my_ parents' grave_, dobe."

"Oh... alright... that makes sense," Naruto said, not fully believing his rival.

"Yeah. Why would I bring flowers to Sakura for anyways?"

"So Sasuke, do you want to get some lunch at Ichiraku's?"

"Sorry, can't Naruto. I've got plans."

Naruto put on that pouty face. "Aw man... both you and Sakura have plans...and I'm not going to ask Kakashi-sensei to go to lunch or else he's going to be cheap and make me pay..." Something clicked in Naruto's head. "Wait a second... _Both you and Sakura have plans._" He got a stupid grin on his face. "You're going out with her, aren't you?"

"Shut up, dobe. I'm not going out with Sakura."

Naruto started to walk quickly towards where Sakura had gone to. He laughed and grinned looking back towards Sasuke. "Heh. I bet Sakura would be surprised to hear that."

_Oh crap._ Sasuke thought. "Wait Naruto!" Sasuke started to run after Naruto. Naruto looked back and laughed. "You'll have to catch me first!" Sasuke started to pick up speed, getting angry. Naruto just kept on jumping along the roofs, turning from his original path. "Whoa!" he said as he jumped over a kunai that was thrown at him. "Hey! Watch it!" He shouted at Sasuke. "Huh? Where did Sasuke go?"

_"Oof!"_ he said as he was side-tackled by Sasuke. "...So what if I am going out with her?" Sasuke said with is eyes averted from Naruto's.

"Heh, I knew it. So those flowers _are_ for her. Where are you going with her?"

"That's none of your business, dobe."

"Heh. Fine then... can you get off me?" He said.

"Oh, yeah... sorry," Sasuke said, standing up. "But if you tell her..." He said in a serious tone.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Whatever. I wasn't going to tell her anyways," Naruto said, grinning. _GROWL._ "Well, I'm going to get some ramen. See ya!" Naruto said as he ran off towards Ichiraku's.

* * *

Hinata was still sitting by the tree, tears streaming down her face. Her cheeks were puffy from all of the crying, her eyes slightly red. _Naruto's never going to notice me. No matter how hard I try, he never notices... He only ever sees Sakura-chan... Why her? She doesn't care for him like I do. Maybe I'm just not pretty enough..._

"Hinata?" Sakura said, quietly. Hearing Hinata's sobbing, she walked over to her and put her arm on Hinata's shoulder.

Hinata shirked it off. "I just want to be alone right now," she said.

"It's alright. What's wrong?"

Hinata started to cry harder. "It's so hopeless... he never notices me. I'm too weak... I feel like I'm invisible to him," she said in between sobs. She seemed to be breaking down ever further as she vented her feelings. Sakura's arms wrapped around Hinata once again, this time with Hinata allowing the contact.

"It's alright Hinata... it's going to be fine. Cheer up. It's not like there's a time limit on this. There's still plenty of time to get him to love you." Hinata just sat there, her crying abating as she sobbed into Sakura's shoulder. Sakura abruptly released Hinata from her embrace. "I'm sorry Hinata! I've got to run! I'm late for my date!"

"With who?" Hinata said, wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Sasuke. Naruto just wanted to have lunch with Sasuke-kun and I, but we have a date together, so I couldn't. If you want to see him, he's probably at Ichiraku's right now. See ya!" she said, waving as she said goodbye.

Hinata wiped her tears away, her face still blotchy from her crying. She smiled a little. _I still have a chance then. Naruto doesn't think of Sakura like that anymore so I have a chance! _She thought as she hugged herself with a big smile forming. With her new found confidence, she started walking in the direction of Ichiraku's...

* * *

A/N:

sigh I'm finally done after all of that time wanting to do this. Damned Shikamaru Syndrome... XD

I hope you guys like it. It's a NaruHina fanfic, but there are a lot of other pairings I'm going to throw in there, especially SasuSaku. Mostly romance with a lot of comedy and some action. The setting is about a year from the current storyline, maybe a little less. I have a lot of reasons for writing this besides having a lot of ideas in my head, which I will write about in a journal entry in a bit... if I don't have a relapse of Shikamaru Syndrome. lol. I know this chapter isn't all that interesting, but believe me, the second is going to be hilarious and the ending will leave you at the edge of your seat... Well, enjoy!


	2. Chapter 2: A Close Encounter & a Mission

Tails of a Jinchuriki: Chapter 2

A Close Encounter and a Mission

* * *

Hinata walked down the street, smiling happily, radiating her cheerfulness. She had her hands behind her back, her face to the sky, gazing at its deep blue color that always reminded her of Naruto's eyes, the eyes which caused her heart to pound whenever they locked with her own. She walked like this thinking of her talk with her pink-haired friend.

_Sakura is right. There's plenty of time. I'll definitely be able to prove myself to him and win his heart. _the lavender-eyed kunoichi thought to herself. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't notice a certain blond-haired ninja exiting his favorite food place, stepping directly into her path. They collided. They both toppled over, Hinata letting out a gasp in shock as she fell forward. She winced, hitting her knee hard against the earth. She lifted her head up to look at the person whom she had knocked to the ground, only to be met by a set of cerulean blue eyes. _Naruto-kun!_

* * *

_Hinata? _Naruto's body and mind froze, captivated by Hinata's lavender eyes, his own not able to avert their gaze. His heartbeat raced, his breaths shallowed, his senses seemed to peak in perception, but they were only able to perceive the kunoichi laying on top of him; her radiating body heat, her heart's pounding, her slight frame against his own, her smell, a heavenly mixture of lavender and lilac with a hint of something else he couldn't identify. All of these sensations put Naruto into a state of tranquility; time seemed to slow to a halt.

Hinata couldn't handle the situation. Her face turned bright red, then her vision became blurred as she drifted out of consciousness. When her eyes had closed, Naruto suddenly snapped out of his trance.

"Hinata! Hinata!" Naruto shouted at the girl, futilely attempting to bring her back into consciousness.

"Hey, Naruto," his white-haired sensei called to him, having walked in onto the scene. "It seems as if you're enjoying yourself. Maybe I should come back some other time," he said, grinning, his orange book in hand.

Naruto's head turned quickly to the jounin. "Ehh?! Kakashi-sensei!" Naruto shouted, as shocked by his teacher's appearance as embarrassed about how he had been found. "Wait! This isn't what it looks like!" he pleaded, flailing his arms, blood rushing to his face.

"Then why haven't you gotten up yet?" Kakashi said, smiling in a teasing manner.

"Eh?" Naruto said, confused. _Oh... _He got up, lifting Hinata up with him. He picked her up into his arms. He carried her and set her against the wall.

"Well, I didn't come to find you to interrupt you kissing your girlfriend-"

"She's not my girlfriend!" Naruto interjected.

Kakashi put on a surprised look. "Oh. So you _were _kissing her!"

"No!" Naruto shouted.

"I'm just kidding. Well, the reason I came to find you was because we have a mis-"

"Kakashi-kun!" A feminine voice sailed over to the shinobi, stopping the Copy-nin mid-word. Naruto's face contorted into a look of terror as he looked upon the kunoichi: Mitarashi Anko.

_It's that creepy snake lady from the chuunin exams! _Naruto thought, paralyzed by his fear of the woman. She walked over to Kakashi and gave him a peck on the cheek. _What?! _baffled by what had just occurred.

"_Oh._ Anko-chan! How nice to see you." Kakashi said in a sing-song tone.

Anko noticed Naruto and waved a little to him. "Hi Naruto-kun!" she said, smiling, which further scared Naruto. She turned to Kakashi and grabbed his arm and started to drag him away. "Come on. Let's go spend some quality time together."

"Wait, but I didn't get to tell Naruto what he's supposed to-"

"Are you sure you don't want to spend _quality _time together with me?" Anko said with a pout. Kakashi catching onto what she was suggesting, he was now the one who was pulling her.

"Let's go!" He said, quickly leaving Naruto behind, confused, leaving him with a fainted Hyuuga to boot.

A giant sweat drop formed as Naruto watched the couple disappear. "Kakashi-sensei..." he said in a disappointed tone.

He turned back to the unconscious girl. "What am I supposed to do with her?" He said out loud.

A large white paw stepped into his vision. "Hey, Naruto. What's up?" Kiba said from atop his companion.

"Oh! Hey Kiba. Not much..." Naruto said, trailing off at the end, turning towards Hinata. Kiba's eyes turned to her as well. The Inuzuka gave a loud let out a deep breath.

"Naruto... did Hinata faint_ again_?" Kiba asked, sighing.

"Uh... yeah..." Naruto replied, embarrassed.

"What did you _do_?" Kiba said in an almost babying manner.

"Nothing! She fell on top of me since she wasn't watching where she was going and-"

"Naruto... how can you expect to become Hokage if you can't even see what's right in front of you..." Kiba said, meaning to say it in his head.

"What do you mean?" Naruto said, confused.

"You're hopeless..." Kiba said, letting out a sigh. "Well, since I found Hinata and it seems as if you weren't told, we were ordered to head to the Hokage's office. I've still got to find Shino, so I'll catch up later." He jumped off of Akamaru and grabbed Hinata, slinging her over his shoulder with one arm, this not being the first time he's had to do so. "See ya." He said as the dog sped off with its teammates on its back.

* * *

When Naruto arrived at the Hokage's office, he found that no one was there; he was early. What he did find was the traditional Hokage hat and robe sitting on a coat-wrack, unworn. He smiled. _What would Baa-chan do if she walked into the room with me wearing this? _he thought, deviously. He put on the robe and hat and took a seat behind the Hokage's desk. _So, this is what it's like to be the Hokage..._

The doorknob turned. Tsunade froze, eyes wide, her face in a state of shock and bewilderment. Naruto gave a huge grin. "Minato?" She whispered to herself, staring at the spitting image of the Yellow Flash. _Naruto...you look so much like your father. _She thought, her expression melting into that of warm affection.

"Hey! Baa-chan!" Naruto said, bringing Tsunade back into reality. A vein popped in her forehead and she clenched her fist.

"Stop calling me that! And why are you sitting in my chair while wearing my uniform?!" She yelled, restraining herself from sending Naruto across the village, courtesy of her fist.

Naruto crossed his arms, pouting. "Well, it's going to be mine eventually anyways..."

Tsunade trembled in anger. "Well, until then, GET OUT OF MY CHAIR!"

Naruto, jumped at that, the robe and hat flying onto the coat wrack. He was careful to walk on the opposite side of the room while Tsunade walked around behind her desk and sunk into her chair, much on her mind.

* * *

Naruto shifted uncomfortably. _Why is Baa-chan so serious? Is there something really important going on?_

About fifteen minutes later, Team 8, minus Sarutobi Kurenai, who was on maternity leave, walked in and stood around. Looking at Tsunade, they could feel the gravity of the situation. Just as they were getting settled, Yamato along with Sasuke and Sakura walked in. All they were waiting on was the arrival of Kakashi. Another fifteen minutes later, the masked jounin landed on the roof outside and opened the window.

"Hey everyone. Sorry I'm late. There was an old lady tha-"

"You're lying!" His team admonished in unison. Naruto continued, "you were probably with hmhm." a hand was quickly clasped over his mouth by Kakashi.

"Why don't we just keep that to ourselves, o.k.?" he said in a tone too sweet not to have an underlying threat of 'I'll make you pay if you tell anyone.' Naruto quickly got the point and simply pulled away, his arms crossed.

"I'll ignore the interruption if you would all be quiet and listen up." Tsunade said with a look of disdain. They knew better than to continue. Tsunade folded her hands, her elbows on the table, speaking in a serious tone, "Hatake Kakashi, Yamato, Uzumaki Naruto, Sasuke Uchiha, Haruno Sakura, Aburame Shino, Inuzuka Kiba, Hyuuga Hinata, I have grave news to tell you all..." Her eyes shone with her earnestness. "What we have most feared... has occurred."

* * *

**Cliffhanger no jutsu!** I'm so EVIL!! Mwahaha! lol...

Well, I finally finished the much anticipated chapter 2. I hope everyone likes it!

lol...KakaAnko...

Edit: I forgot Kakashi's big entrance... so I had to rewrite the last scene... ;


	3. Chapter 3: Wounds and Fire

Tails of a Jinchuriki: Chapter 3

Wounds and Fire

* * *

Naruto clenched his fist, grinding his teeth. _This is bad. _

"We have heard reports of huge fires in this region." Tsunade said, pulling out a scroll of the geography of the continent and pointing to the junction between the Lands of Fire, Rain, and Grass. "There have also been rumors of the fires being caused by... a demon," Tsunade finally revealed, probably never seeming more serious than she was now, and that is saying something.

Sasuke's face contorted into a scowl. Kakashi and Yamato looked pale, to say the least. Sakura gasped, her hand reaching up and covering her mouth. Something like a growl emanated from Kiba's throat. Hinata's eyes grew wide with fright, her body trembling a bit.

"Team 8, your job is to keep an eye out for any ninja from other villages. Kakashi, Sasuke, your job is to take care of any fires that are hazardous, as well as to take care of any interference. Sakura, your job is to act as a med-nin in case anything goes wrong. Yamato, you will restrain the bijuu..." She turned to the blond. "And Naruto... you know your assignment. This is your mission. You're in charge." In those last words, her voice took on a tone of concern.

"Yes. I understand," Naruto responded in a rather somber voice. One would think that Naruto would be ecstatic about being given command on such a mission, but this was no time for his antics.

Tsunade turned back to addressing the whole group. "You are to leave at 0600 hours. This is an S-class mission, since we don't have a higher rank to give it. There is no guarantee of survival. Good luck to you all. You are dismissed." The group filed out in relative silence.

* * *

The eight-man cell was traveling in silence through the trees at a quick pace. Naruto was in front, behind him, Kakashi and Sasuke followed by Yamato, Sakura, and Kiba in the rear. The lot of them could barely keep up with Naruto. None of them had seen him so serious as he was now, even those who had been with him at he final showdown against Akatsuki.

Naruto's heart was pounding in his chest. He was nervous. He didn't know if he could do it. This was the first time he was going to try anything of this magnitude. The biggest thing he could recall sealing was the giant shuriken which he kept within a sealing scroll in his tool pouch. Also, he had never made a seal of this magnitude. It would have to be _huge_. One little kanji wrong and the entire thing would be messed up. That could have catastrophic results. It could kill him, everyone around him... this was no joke. He ran through all of the parts of the seal through his head, remembering each kanji that he had had to memorize. There were a _lot_ of kanji that he memorized. He could feel his heartbeat calm as he methodically went through the sealing in his head.

Naruto was suddenly brought out of his thoughts by a deafening roar that chilled his blood. They all stopped for a minute. He could _feel _the fiery chakra, the raw _power _emanating from the rampaging monster. The air felt _hot... _in the middle of the night. Maybe the heat was simply from immense inferno that raged all around, set by the two blazing tails of the beast. Naruto signaled to the squad to move up and take the lay of the land. He spiraled up the tall tree, hopping from branch to branch until he finally could see it. Not two miles away was a massive beast, engulfed in black flames, wreaking havoc with it's two monstrous, blazing tails, reducing the forest to a fiery, smoldering wasteland.

"Wow..." Kiba said eloquently, voicing what everyone else was thinking.

Kakashi stood dumbstruck, terrible memories flooding his mind from the last time he had seen such a creature. Yamato looked nervous, as an understatement. He had been up against Naruto in his four-tailed form, but that paled in comparison to the sight of a rampaging, fully released bijuu. Both Sakura and Hinata were wide-eyed at the sight. Even Sasuke looked unsettled by it. Of course, Shino was unreadable as always, save for he seemed to be sweating rather a lot, not that that's a sure sign that he was nervous, since it _was _extremely hot.

Naruto could feel his heart pounding at the sight of it. This was _it_. This was the sort of force that Akatsuki wanted to harness and control. This was the sort of thing that was inside him, himself being the only thing between this sort of destruction and the world. He shuddered at that thought. He shook his head to clear his mind of those thoughts. He would need every single bit of focus and resolve for what he was about to do.

"Kakashi-sensei, I need you to put out some of the fire in a... uh... giant toad-sized area." Naruto ordered.

"O.K." Kakashi affirmed, forming hand seals quickly.

**Suikoudan no Jutsu**

"Yamato, I need you, on my signal, to hold the Bijuu down with one of your mokuton jutsu," Naruto continued, "The rest of you fan out. You have your orders. Move out."

The group sprang into action, scattering. Naruto leapt towards the spot that had been doused with water from Kakashi's jutsu.

**Kuchiyose no Jutsu**

A gargantuan cloud of smoke appeared. As the smoke dissipated, an equally gargantuan red toad with a pipe in its mouth could be seen. Naruto grinned widely as he patted the giant's back upon which he was sitting.

"Hey, Gamabunta!" He shouted so the frog could hear.

"Eh?! Naruto? What's the deal with summoning me here?!" The frog demanded in a booming voice, trying to look over his shoulder at his summoner.

"That." Naruto said, pointing at the beast who had momentarily stopped in its attacks at the arrival of something else its size.

"Well why didn't you just say so?!" the Toad Boss said. "Heh, this seems familiar." He chuckled to himself. "Now, Naruto, what do you need me to do?"

Naruto patted the toad a couple of times. "I need your back."

"What?" Gamabunta asked quizzically.

"I need to write a huge seal and in the middle of the woods, it's kinda hard to find a surface that big, so I thought I could write it on your back." He said, smiling.

"Boy, you are trying my patience!" The giant toad boomed. "You could have at _least _told me before hand so I could dress in something different! This is my favorite shirt..."

"I should have thought of that..." Naruto said, rubbing the back of his head. "Anyways I'd better get going... that thing might decide to attack us at any moment."

**Kage Bushin no Jutsu**

Naruto created ten clones who all whipped out brushes and started writing seals on the toad's shirt. "Now, I need to place the..." Naruto froze, his eye twitching. "I FORGOT THE MEDIUM!!" He shouted loud enough for everyone to hear. He went sprinting off of Gamabunta's back, leaping down to the ground towards the nearest person he could see.

"Hinata!" He shouted at her, grabbing her by the shoulders and shaking her back-and-forth nonstop.

"W-wa-at i-is i-it?" She tried to say while being shaken, which isn't easy.

"IFORGOTTHEMEDIUMIFORGOTTHEMEDIUMIFORGOTTHEMEDIUMIFORGOTTHEMEDIUM! I-FOR-GOT-THE-MED-I-UM!!" He shouted, continuing to freak out, not stopping his shaking of Hinata.

"W-wa-at i-is tha-a-at?" She got out. Naruto threw his hands up into the air, causing her to stumble forward. She regained her balance and began to blush, again being able to think.

"It's just the most _important _part of the sealing! The thing I actually seal the demon _into! And I forgot it!" _He berated himself, pulling at his hair in exacerbation.

"W-what does it have to b-be?" Hinata stuttered, her face still a light rose color.

"It has to be something well made and precious or at least something that has something to do with the demon. Either would do! But I _forgot it!_"Naruto said, again killing himself over his forgetfulness.

Hinata's stomach dropped at the thought of what she was about to do. _But I have to do it. I have to help him. _She fumbled around in her gear bag and pulled out something rectangular wrapped in black velvet. She slowly unraveled it, revealing an ornate comb of pale lavender jade with dark violet streaks. She held it out to him.

"This was m-my mothers. She g-gave it t-to me... S-she said that as long as I had it w-with me, it would protect me... I a-always bring it on important missions... Ano... I think it m-might work..." She said, both sad and happy at the same time; sad that she had to part with it for a second, happy that she could help Naruto in any way.

Naruto looked wide-eyed at it, then her, then back to it.

"You'd really do that? It... It's perfect! Thank you so much, Hinata!" He said, taking it out of her hands and holding it carefully. Hinata, nothing in her hands anymore, pressed her forefingers together nervously.

"I-it won't break will it?" She said, the worry showing in her eyes.

"Nope. The sealing shouldn't break it. And I'll be really careful with it. I won't break it. I promise." He said, smiling, his worry melted away. Hinata's worry did the same as she smiled back, her worry about being parted with her mother's comb gone, leaving her only with the happy feeling from helping the one she cares about.

Naruto jumped off back towards Gamabunta, who had moved, having been jumped at twice by the demon, who seemed to be having fun with him. Yamato had struggled restraining the beast, since fire _does_ burn wood. The last clone dispersed as it finished up the seal. Naruto surveyed his clones' work, even though he gained the memories of all of them. It looked much like the seal formed when using the **Kuchiyose no Jutsu**, having ten spokes and a circle, but instead of the spokes all meeting in the middle, they touched the edges of an inner circle. This is where Naruto placed the comb. Naruto then sat cross-legged outside the inner circle, forming hand-signs.

**Bijuu Kinbaku Fuuin (Bijuu Binding Seal)**

Naruto felt a falling sensation as he entered the depths of his mind.

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes. Before him was a huge gate, meant to keep in something immensely powerful, seemingly held closed by a small piece of paper with a written kanji 'seal' on it. From the darkness appeared two enormous red eyes.

"**Do you wish for my power?" **the deep, demonic voice asked. **"Remove the seal and you can have all of it."**

"No deal. You're not in a position to bargain. If I die, you die. If you don't give me your chakra, the jutsu will take all of my chakra and we'll _both_ die. It doesn't sound to me like you have much of a choice, so cough it up."

The demon laughed. **"It would surely take someone as foolish as you to try a demon such as I. Fine. I will give you my power, but heed my words. You **_**will **_**release me some day."**

With that, the red chakra poured forth from the cage, enveloping Naruto, giving him manyfold power.

* * *

Naruto opened his eyes. The seal was working. The demon was being sucked into the seal. The flames circled the glowing seal, spinning in towards the innermost circle before disappearing into the jade comb. The seal was shrinking as it drew in more of the beast. The outer circle was rotating as it slowly shrunk, moving close and closer to the inner circle. The demon gave one last roar of despair before it was completely absorbed by the seal. The spokes moved inwards, overlapping the comb as the circles closed in onto it.

As the outer circle finally closed in on the sealing medium, a powerful horizontal shock-wave of raw, fiery chakra lashed out from the seal, hitting Naruto dead on, sending him flying off of Gamabunta's back. The Toad Boss, after seeing Naruto falling, lashed out his tongue, catching Naruto's body and lowered Naruto to the ground. The toad disappeared in a large cloud of smoke as he had appeared.

* * *

"Naruto!!" Hinata screamed as she saw him falling. She sprinted to where he would have landed, but he was saved from the fall by the giant toad. She continued running to his limp body. She pressed her ear to his chest, the jacket and shirt ripped to shreds by the chakra which left his body visibly fine. She heard nothing. She started to weep uncontrollably.

"Naruto. You can't die. You have to keep your promises. You said you'd become Hokage." She said in between sobs. She broke down again, not able to say much. "You can't die. You can't leave me. I... I love you!" She all but shouted those last words. She cried for a few more seconds before she heard something.

_Thump thump. _A heart beat.

She felt a hand on her head, holding it against Naruto's chest. It took her a second to realize it was Naruto's own hand. Her tears calmed as she heard Naruto's steady breathing.

"Thank you." Naruto said weakly to her, right before he slipped into a deep sleep.

* * *

"**Well, well. It seems things are getting more interesting."**

* * *

OK. I hope you guys enjoy the much belated and anticipated third chapter! Review please!... not much A/N this time around. ;


	4. Chapter 4: Healing and Ashes

Tails of a Jinchuriki: Chapter 4

Healing and Ashes

* * *

When Naruto awoke, he was greeted by the all familiar stark white ceiling and the smell of disinfectant. _The hospital..._ He thought. He put his hand up to his head, ruffling his hair. He shifted his wait, trying to get into a better position on the uncomfortable hospital bed, but he felt an unfamiliar wait on his legs. As he gazed down the bed, he saw a mass of dark, indigo hair sprawled over his legs.

"Hinata?" Naruto said in a whisper, more to himself than to anyone else. She seemed to hear though, since she started to stir into wakefulness.

_Where am I?_ She thought as she looked up slightly from her spot in a chair right beside the bed, placed in such a way that she had fallen asleep lying with her top half on the bed, her hear resting on one of Naruto's thighs. _Oh yeah... I'm in the hospital... _She remembered groggily. _Naruto-kun! _She then thought, sitting up fully alert, having remembered the reason why she was there. The kunoichi turned her head quickly to the right to see Naruto looking right at her. Overwhelmed by emotion, she jumped up and did something that surprised even Konoha's most unpredictable ninja; she hugged him. By the time the shock left his face, he could hear her almost inaudible sobs of relief.

"Naruto-kun... I... was... so... worried." She said in between sobs as she squeezed him tighter, crying into his shoulder.

"There's no reason to be worried. I'm fine," He said, grinning. He sat there for a couple moments before speaking again. "Uh... Hinata... You're still hugging me."

Hinata froze. She hadn't even realized what she had been doing until he had pointed it out. She gradually turned a bright red color. "Eep!" she cried out as she let go of Naruto like he was on fire and fell limp on Naruto's legs once again.

The door opened and a pink-haired med-nin stepped through the threshold carrying a clipboard. She looked up from the chart and looked at her patient.

"Hey, Naruto. How are you feeling?" she said smiling.

"Better than ever," he replied, grinning, his hand rubbing the back of his head in one of his trademark poses.

Sakura looked at Hinata, smiling softly. Totally changing fronts, she said, "You know, she stayed up all night worried about you."

Naruto looked utterly dumbstruck. "She did?" he asked in bewilderment. Sakura nodded. "She's a really good friend..." Naruto said quietly, trailing off.

_You have no idea._ Sakura thought, a little peeved about Naruto's continued obliviousness. Adding a little cheer into her voice, she continued. "Well, let me just take a last look at your chart, then I can release you. You are supposed to report to Tsunade-sama immediately and give your mission report. She's really anxious to hear what happened firsthand." Naruto nodded. "Now... let's see here... hey, wait. It seems you are behind on your annual vaccinations." She looked up from her chart to find no one in the bed and an open window. "Naruto!!" Sakura screamed out the window, an orange blur moving towards the center of the village.

* * *

"Phew. That was a close one." Naruto said, wiping off the sweat he had worked up running from the hospital all the way to the Hokage's office. Naruto jumped through the large windows surrounding the semi-circular room. He looked at the Hokage, who, at the moment, was taking a nap, drooling on her paperwork. He grinned maniacally. _This is too good an opportunity to pass up. _Performing a henge, he transformed into a skinny, short black-haired kunoichi.

Assuming what he had dubbed the 'Shizune Death Glare', which he had received on numerous occasions, and doing his best impression of Shizune's angry voice, he said evilly, "Tsunade-sama, what are you doing?"

The Hokage jumped up in her chair, bolt upright with a grimace on her face. She was found out.

"It's not what it looks like, Shizune-chan! I was just resting my eyes for a moment while doing those documents!" Tsunade frantically explained, trying to avoid one of Shizune's verbal beatings she received whenever she was slacking on her paperwork. Just then, another black-haired kunoichi came through the door, carrying a large stack of manilla folders.

"Tsunade-sama, I brought you some more files for you to-" Shizune stopped as she stared dumbfounded at her double. "Huh?"

Naruto, deciding the jig was up, poofed back into his normal form with his trademark orange and black jumpsuit and blond, spiky hair, laughing hysterically. "Man, I really got you good, Baa-chan!"

A vein pulsed in Tsunade's temple. Her hands clenched into fists at her sides. She spoke slowly through her teeth in a seething tone.

"Naruto, if you don't shut up and sit down right now, I'm going to punch you so hard, not even I could fix you." The color immediately drained from Naruto's face before he quickly went around the desk and took a seat in one of the chairs. The sannin took a deep, slow breath and let it out even slower.

Calmed down and rubbing her temples with the fingers of one hand, she said in a tired manner, "Now, tell me what happened."

Naruto snapped out of his state which had previously been that of a mouse caught by a cat, completely frozen from fright. He leaned forward, recounting the mission in an excited tone. "So, when we got there, there was fire, like _everywhere,_" he waved his hands around in an exaggerated manner. "Kakashi-sensei and Yamato got rid of those with some huge suiton jutsus", he swirled his hands and arms, "and then I summoned Gamabunta."

Tsunade was pinching the bridge of her nose, squeezing her eyes shut. _He is just too much sometimes. He _definitely_ gets that from his mother,_ She thought, recalling all too well Kushina's love for telling stories and completely exaggerating them.

"-and then I saw it completely. It was _huge_!" he said, spreading his arms wide. "So then I made ten kage bushins who wrote the seal on Gamabunta's back while, and then..." Naruto cut off as he rubbed the back of his head with a guilty grin plastered on his face. Tsunade opened up her eyes at the unexpected pause in the boy's monologue. At the sight of his guilty look, her eyes narrowed.

"And then?" She said in an expectant tone.

Naruto guiltily rubbed the back of his head. "And then I realized I had forgotten the sealing medium..."

"YOU DID WHAT?!" Tsunade screamed in outrage, pounding the steel-reinforced desk with her fists once, bending it and making the stacks of sorted files scatter onto the ground. Shizune sighed at the mess that she would have to clean up afterwards.

Naruto waved his arms in front of him with a fear-stricken look on his face, trying to calm her down. "But then Hinata gave me some jade comb thing and it worked perfectly... except for the huge blast of chakra, but that might be normal..."

Tsunade sat down, calmed. "You got lucky." She thought for a moment, then she assumed a serious pose, her hands folded in front of her face, her elbows on the table, and her head low. "Now, what are we going to do about the comb?"

Naruto cocked his head. "Well, I was thinking about giving it back to Hinata-"

"No. That's too risky until we know exactly how well you sealed it. Until then, you take care of it. It'll be safest with you, since you were the only one with the knowledge needed to seal it in the first place." She said, interrupting him.

"Alright. So can I go then?" He asked, wanting to get out of there as soon as possible. Tsunade was _very_ testy today.

"Alright, you can go," she said, waving her hand in a gesture of dismissal.

"See ya, Baa-chan!" Naruto said as he leaped out the window.

"I told you not to call me that!" she bellowed out the window after him. She went and sat down, rubbing her temples with one hand. "Has anyone around here heard of a door?"

* * *

Naruto opened up the door to his apartment. It was not all that big, but it was home. It was actually rather clean since he had just cleaned it the other day. In another couple, it would be bound to be a mess, with clothes, chopsticks, and cup ramen strewn everywhere. Naruto walked over to his dresser, which had the picture of Team 7 on their first day. He smiled looking at it. He placed the comb carefully down beside it.

_Growl. _Naruto clutched his stomach. "All of that running made me hungry... to Ichiraku's!" He shouted, running out the door, forgetting to lock it in his hungered state. It was only 4:30, but the time of day never stopped Naruto from eating a meal before.

* * *

Hinata walked down the street, blushing slightly as she recounted the occurrences of the day._ I really hugged Naruto._ She felt like squealing._ But what does he think of me?_ She thought nervously. Her mind wandered as she walked towards the residential areas of the village._ Maybe I should go ask Naruto if I can take my comb back... _She was extremely apprehensive about going to Naruto's apartment, let alone actually talk to him, but she had to get that comb back. It was the last thing that her mother ever gave to her and she would be damned if she didn't get it back. With new determination, Hinata walked towards Naruto's apartment.

When she got there, she stopped at the door. Her hand shook as she reached for the door. Her hand curled up into a fist as she knocked on the door, more softly than your average person would have. She waited for a moment before nocking a little louder. The door opened ajar. _It's unlocked?_

Hinata walked in, uneasy. "H-hello? N-naruto-kun? Anyone home?" No reply. She walked around, looking at everything. "So... this is where Naruto lives..." Hinata mumbled to herself. Hinata blushed at of being in Naruto's apartment, the mere idea of her actually being there making her giddy. It was a bit dirty, but she had been in Kiba's room before, which made this look clean, and that was an understatement.

She was a bit out of breath, the air feeling rather stifling to the shy girl, so she sat down on the bed... _Naruto's bed... _she thought. She had had a couple dreams recently with her on this very bed... Hinata blushed furiously at the memories of those dreams she had had.

She fell backwards, flopping on the bed. Her head hit his pillow and she was enveloped by an intoxicating scent. She turned, face down, burying her nose into Naruto's pillow, breathing in the smells of his shampoo. She sighed out, her breaths coming shallower and shallower. She shook herself out of drowsiness, terrified at the notion of falling asleep there, not even wanting to wonder what Naruto would think if he found her there. She sat up and looked beside her at the dresser. She saw a picture of Team 7. She giggled, looking at the expressions on their faces; Sasuke had a look of contempt; Sakura looked happy to be there; Kakashi looked like he wanted to be anywhere _but_ there; Naruto definitely looked just like Naruto.

Her eyes then landed on what she had came for: her comb. It seemed to glow with energy. She could almost feel the glow brighten and dim. It seemed to beckon to her. She reached toward it. It seemed to draw her in with its glow. She couldn't pull away from it, not that she was trying. She was completely fixated on it. She grasped it in her hand, pulling it to her chest. Suddenly, she felt a strong wave of energy overcome her. She fell back onto the bed, unconscious, completely overwhelmed by the energy emanating from the comb. Flames erupted all around her, engulfing the apartment in yellow and orange.

* * *

Naruto finished up his fourth bowl of ramen. "I think that's enough from now," Naruto commented, smiling while patting his belly.

"Okay, Naruto-kun. See you later!" Ayame said, smiling at their best customer.

Teuchi turned around, about to say goodbye, but then he noticed something and frowned. "Is that smoke?"

"Huh?" Naruto said quizzically as he turned his head to see smoke rising from about seven blocks away. His eyes widened.

Ayame chimed in with a question. "Hey, Naruto, isn't that near your apartment?"

Naruto bolted, fearing the worst, moving at full speed towards his apartment. Teuchi waved his ladle in the air in anger. "Naruto! You forgot to pay!"

* * *

"Oh no!" Naruto said as he saw the burning apartment before him. He burst through the door, ramming it with his shoulder. He looked around frantically; practically everything in sight was engulfed in flame. His eyes were drawn to the bed, where he saw an unusual sight. "Hinata?!"

Hinata was laying there, breathing slowly, surrounded by a ring of violet flames, the fire held at bay by some unseen force. Naruto could feel the adrenaline pumping through his veins as he saw her in such danger, in a state in which he didn't even ask himself why the flames didn't touch her, not to even mention why she was there. Only one thought crossed his mind. _I have to get her out of here!_

Naruto ran through the inferno that was his apartment to Hinata's side. She was still out cold, but seemingly dreaming of something, as her face contorted into a frown before relaxing once more. He picked her up into his arms. He hesitated. _Everything in this room will be burnt to a crisp. _When he had seen Hinata, he seemed to forget that simple fact; everything he didn't take out now would be destroyed. Putting Hinata down quickly, he looked around frenziedly. Looking beside him, he grabbed the only object in the room that could not be replaced, the only thing there that was truly precious to him; his photo. He grabbed it, putting the framed picture into his pouch and scooped up Hinata once again and dashed for the entrance. He burst through the door just as the roof collapsed. A moment later and they would have been buried in rubble. He jumped across the banister down to the ground where he placed Hinata against the trunk of a tree.

Hinata slowly opened her eyes. As her eyes adjusted to the light, she could make out a figure with blond hair stooping over her.

"Naruto-kun?" She asked weakly. She felt completely drained, although she was showing no signs of injury from her previous predicament; no burns, no coughing, nothing.

"Are you okay, Hinata?" Naruto asked concernedly. Hinata nodded an affirmative, too weak to speak. Naruto looked back at the smoking pile of rubble that had been his home. Looking at it, he felt in some way glad that he had at the very least gotten those very two precious things out of the apartment before he was too late: the photo and Hinata.

"Naruto!" a familiar voice called out to him. The white-eyed jounin waved at Naruto as he approached him. "What happened here?!" Neji said with worry. He then caught sight of Hinata whom had fallen asleep, completely drained for some reason. "Hinata?!" he shouted in shock, his instincts as something of a protective sibling to his younger cousin kicking in.

"She's fine. She's just a bit exhausted. Take care of her. I've got to go see someone." Naruto said, thinking about what he was going to do next. He was going to pay a visit to the Hogake.

* * *

Naruto knocked on the door to the office. "Come in," he heard a stern voice answer. He opened the door. Seeing Naruto come in the door like an everyday person shocked Tsunade, but not as much as the solemn look on his face.

"Naruto, what business are you here for?" She asked, a troubled look on her face.

"My apartment burned down," Naruto said without much expression.

"So I've heard..." she replied, wanting to hear what was on his mind.

"What now?" Naruto asked, half asking her, half asking himself. Tsunade made no immediate reply. Naruto, resuming his normal demeanor with problems, started to spout off his thoughts as they came to him.

"What am I supposed to do? Where will I sleep? Where will I stay? Where am I going to live? What am I supposed to do about all of my stuff? I have nothing!" He ranted, pacing around the room, pulling at his hair in distress.

Tsunade hesitated. _I'm not supposed to give it to him yet, but these are extraordinary circumstances. It's settled then._ The slug princess reached for the bottom right drawer of the desk. She made a hand seal, unlocking the drawer. She drew out something that clanked in her hands. She held the keys up in front of Naruto. She smiled widely.

"Naruto, how would you like to know how a Hokage lives?"

* * *

A/N

I hope you all liked this chapter! I'm so sorry for the delay in posting... I kinda forgot even though I had it finished... ;

I need some advice. I'm not too thrilled with how this is going. I'm disappointed in the last two chapters (including this one) and I was thinking of making some major edits to them... only problem is that I don't know how I want to make them better... and then there's the fact that I'm a lazy bastard. SO anyways, I'd just like to hear what you'd guys have to say: if you think I should go back and edit, or if I should just continue as is because it's fine. Thanks for reading! Please review!


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